Faith, Medicine, Climate Change

Graham McAll on the medical community and climate change (1:22 minutes) - Melissa Ong & Daniel Tay

Dr. Graham McAll – family doctor, member of the UK’s Climate and Health Council, and conference speaker – found that medical professionals agreed on the major impact climate change has on human health and that important initiatives designed to combat the effects are already under discussion.

In the wake of A Rocha's "Why Creation is Waiting for the Christians" conferences in Singapore and Malaysia in July 2009, Dr Graham McAll who spoke on the relationship between medicine, Christian faith and climate change, states that the medical community can play an essential part in connecting the scientific community and the general public, because "we know the suffering of the poor... we know the suffering of our patients."

What do faith, medicine and climate change have to do with each other?

Many Christian health care leaders are now fully aware that environmental conservation is an integral part of their faith commitment. Over 500 people were involved in two weeks of A Rocha meetings and conferences in Malaysia and Singapore this July, examining the links between creation care and health care.

Dr. Graham McAll – family doctor, member of the UK’s Climate and Health Council, and conference speaker – found that medical professionals agreed on the major impact climate change has on human health and that important initiatives designed to combat the effects are already under discussion. They also expressed great concern about the effects of pervasive haze and poor air quality – those who met in Kuala Lumpur were particularly aware of the problem.

Meanwhile, many beautiful species are endangered by habitat destruction, including this Blue Nuthatch, found in Malaysia’s spectacular montane forest. Others, like the globally endangered Straw-headed Bulbul from Pulau Ubin island in Singapore, are harder to see – but take a moment here to listen to its song!